The Story Behind the Casting of 'CHILDREN OF HEAVEN', Destiny Unites Ali and Zara

Kapanlagi.com - A sweet coincidence that feels like destiny envelops the production process of the Indonesian remake of the film CHILDREN OF HEAVEN. Producer Manoj Punjabi revealed a unique fact behind the selection of the two child actors who will portray the iconic characters Ali and Zahra.

At the film's thanksgiving event at MD Place, Kuningan, Jakarta, on Monday (06/10/2025), Manoj enthusiastically shared that the two selected child actors actually have the same real names as the characters they portray.

"We got Ali and Zara as the actors. So their real names are also Ali, and her name is also Zara, and they play the characters Ali and Zara. This is truly a perfect coincidence," said Manoj Punjabi.

Read other news about CHILDREN OF HEAVEN at Liputan6.com, come on! If not now, when?

1. The Search Process is Not Easy

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The fact of "soulmates" seems to be a good sign for the big project directed by Hanung Bramantyo. However, behind that ease, Hanung admits that the search process for these two child stars is not easy.

2. The Biggest Challenge During Casting

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The biggest challenge is finding children who still have natural innocence in front of the camera. According to him, many children nowadays are already "contaminated" and aware of acting.

3. The Negative Side of Experienced Children

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"Most of those who apply are those who have acted in films before, and the negative side is that they are already aware of acting. So sometimes when introducing themselves, they are already acting beforehand," explained Hanung.

4. Open Casting for Three Months

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They are really looking for a pure and innocent figure, which is actually hard to find. This search process even took up to three months through an open casting process.

5. Criteria Being Sought

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"We want to see pure children, but it’s hard, you know. We are really looking for those who are still, still, still not much (contaminated)," he added.

6. Focus on Children's Characters

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So focused on these two children’s characters, Hanung even joked that the top adult actors and actresses involved in this film are just "expensive extras".

7. Expensive Extras

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"I honestly say, they are extras, just very expensive extras," he joked, which drew laughter.

(kpl/aal/rsp)